tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post2598662971739382782..comments2023-10-11T03:42:59.033-07:00Comments on The Criterion Contraption: #97: Do The Right ThingMatthew Dessemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-76857277916575693212015-01-30T03:46:07.329-08:002015-01-30T03:46:07.329-08:00Your review is refreshing. Great post. Your review is refreshing. Great post. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08474551845661031816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-33098169122553819592014-05-05T00:54:32.963-07:002014-05-05T00:54:32.963-07:00do the right think?
hehehe, i think It's hard ...do the right think?<br />hehehe, i think It's hard to do that<br />:-)Halrahttp://halra.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-48821893515226160332010-06-29T07:17:43.477-07:002010-06-29T07:17:43.477-07:00Great writeup! The points about drawing out the v...Great writeup! The points about drawing out the viewers complicated feelings about race are spot-on, and I think say a lot about Lee as a New York filmmaker---growing up in the 'burbs, I had the Mockingbird view of racists as monsters who lived somewhere else, but moving to NYC pulled me into the world of constant racial tension and turf wars (though it's much better now than it was in That Fuzzy Bastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09586029006083399346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-71941187572505946852010-05-03T23:23:11.988-07:002010-05-03T23:23:11.988-07:00your refrences to Crash are excellent. I was anger...your refrences to Crash are excellent. I was angered by the praise for Crash because it was clear to me the filmmaker was not incommand of the complicated subject matter he was so clearly exploiting. And I remember reading or seeing an interview with Spike Lee right before the Oscars. He said, matter of factly referring to his prediction of why it would beat out Brokeback Mountain for the best Shawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09226514309485393356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-61728133993450301482010-04-17T01:00:32.092-07:002010-04-17T01:00:32.092-07:00http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-1s9MKDrmUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-1s9MKDrmUAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-52990497351079501672010-04-13T00:08:07.104-07:002010-04-13T00:08:07.104-07:00And finally: Richard, fair enough. I haven't ...And finally: Richard, fair enough. I haven't seen <em>Field of Dreams</em> in years.<br /><br />And now, back to my state income tax return.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-38140486744061633592010-04-13T00:06:24.654-07:002010-04-13T00:06:24.654-07:00Bronwyn,
Assuming that's you, hello!Bronwyn,<br /><br />Assuming that's you, hello!Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-7887142699179249682010-04-13T00:02:47.901-07:002010-04-13T00:02:47.901-07:00Emily,
Peeps are, indeed, delicious.Emily,<br /><br />Peeps are, indeed, delicious.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-78321391548165271812010-04-13T00:01:48.039-07:002010-04-13T00:01:48.039-07:00Rand,
Thanks -- I'm doing what I can. If I ev...Rand,<br />Thanks -- I'm doing what I can. If I ever get paid to write I will play catchup. But as the posting times for these entries show, I only get to work on this at ungodly hours...Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-62012087924076911492010-04-13T00:00:25.160-07:002010-04-13T00:00:25.160-07:00Sparrowwhisperer,
I mean that it's rare for a...Sparrowwhisperer,<br /><br />I mean that it's rare for a film to suggest that the audience may have their own complicated feelings about race -- in "To Kill A Mockingbird," there are characters who are cartoonishly racist and characters who are saintly, and anyone watching that film will identify with the saints and judge the sinners without having to think too much about their own Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-48616528552075315412010-04-12T21:42:41.798-07:002010-04-12T21:42:41.798-07:00This is one of the rare reviews of Do the Right Th...This is one of the rare reviews of Do the Right Thing that actually convinces me that the film is a great one.<br /><br />This is what I like best:<br /><br />"Lee's crime, it seems to me, was to make a film where a perceptive viewer will identify to a disturbing degree with the anger felt by all of the characters, to understand why Sal smashes Raheem's boombox and why Mookie throws Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-46876174381118119672010-04-06T07:49:09.473-07:002010-04-06T07:49:09.473-07:00Being a huge fan of peeps, I'm very interested...Being a huge fan of peeps, I'm very interested in what Anonymous has to say. That said, watching this movie on a hot night in DC with my neighbors fighting outside my window probably wasn't the best decision.Emilynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-74647262274801898172010-04-01T11:53:51.829-07:002010-04-01T11:53:51.829-07:00Hey Matthew,
As I'm sure you know, movies dif...Hey Matthew,<br /><br />As I'm sure you know, movies differ quite a bit from their source novels. Re-watch "Field of Dreams", look at the titles of the novels credited to the fictional author and listen to what's said about him in the film. It's not J.D. Salinger ... not by a long shot.<br /><br />One of the books is clearly modeled on "The Crying of Lot 49" for Richard Doylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-51366638556299767082010-03-26T09:14:18.636-07:002010-03-26T09:14:18.636-07:00For obvious reasons, I enjoyed the reference to su...For obvious reasons, I enjoyed the reference to summers in Durham sans air conditioning, but I enjoyed the review overall. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I still haven't seen "Do the Right Thing" (perhaps scarred from having watched "Jungle Fever" with my parents at age 16?) but this review puts it higher on my list.Bronniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02801775159891441756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-65462567261878749112010-03-24T22:00:27.302-07:002010-03-24T22:00:27.302-07:00I'm happy to see another magnificent review, b...I'm happy to see another magnificent review, but I gotta say that at the rate you're fulfilling your proclaimed mission vs. the rate of Criterion's releases, you'll likely be dead of old age—thoroughly mummified—before you ever catch up to CC's March 2010 titles.Rand Careagahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04993454654652802173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-65335119975627568412010-03-23T20:51:02.222-07:002010-03-23T20:51:02.222-07:00Those rules for American race movies date back at ...Those rules for American race movies date back at least as far as the early sixties. They all apply to "To Kill a Mockingbird" and check out what Roger Ebert has to say about that - http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20011111/REVIEWS/60103002/1023.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08821202583547532559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-50370992221562796992010-03-23T15:03:44.996-07:002010-03-23T15:03:44.996-07:00Anonymous,
I'm not sure I know what "fla...Anonymous,<br /><br />I'm not sure I know what "flagellation on myself on abstract things," means but I doubt I want it, especially if I've apparently got a time machine that can take me back to the early nineties. A sports almanac and a ticket to Vegas, on the other hand...Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-85688445272602250212010-03-23T14:47:58.420-07:002010-03-23T14:47:58.420-07:00JPL,
Duly noted -- I guess it should read, "...JPL,<br /><br />Duly noted -- I guess it should read, "A journalist, if you point at something..."Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-82580389058345981462010-03-23T14:38:33.575-07:002010-03-23T14:38:33.575-07:00Oh great, another self-righteous racial rant based...Oh great, another self-righteous racial rant based on delusional self-imposed guilt and smarmy highschool ''I know you're already with me , peeps'' antics. Go back to the early nineties and stay there on a time loop so you can never decide whether you want flagellation on yourself on abstract things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-33873871740211596852010-03-22T19:47:48.264-07:002010-03-22T19:47:48.264-07:00Great write-up, as usual. The flagrant misinforma...Great write-up, as usual. The flagrant misinformation about dogs troubles me though, and although DFW isn't around to defend himself, he is wrong, and I can prove it.<br /><br />http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/298/5598/1634JPLnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-59122646442550539502010-03-22T12:03:52.788-07:002010-03-22T12:03:52.788-07:00Great review of one of the most difficult to revie...Great review of one of the most difficult to review films of all time, let alone in the Criterion Collection. So much has been said about this movie, both for and against this film, but few would argue that it has a powerful effect on the audience (particularly the first time viewer). It was interesting to read some of the film making choices that contributed to the tension felt throughout the Brent Enoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-20852668350320723892010-03-22T11:56:44.754-07:002010-03-22T11:56:44.754-07:00Richard,
As much as I love stories about Thomas P...Richard,<br /><br />As much as I love stories about Thomas Pynchon's life as a recluse, I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, given <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoeless_Joe_(novel)" rel="nofollow">the source material</a>.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1533980067149005332010-03-22T11:54:42.649-07:002010-03-22T11:54:42.649-07:00DJ Project,
Since you somehow made it through 2005...DJ Project,<br />Since you somehow made it through 2005 without seeing <em>Crash</em>, I would counsel you to stay the course.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-53960956478929200782010-03-22T11:52:23.128-07:002010-03-22T11:52:23.128-07:00Kyle,
Spike Lee definitely likes telling that st...Kyle, <br /><br />Spike Lee definitely likes telling that story, and maybe draws broader conclusions from it than he should. If you read Joe Klein's piece in particular, though (and it's usually Klein who Spike Lee mentions) without knowing the plot of the movie, you would not know why the mob attacks Sal's Pizzeria. He's not trying to avoid spoilers (he tells readers that Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-13085395210044307392010-03-22T11:14:07.945-07:002010-03-22T11:14:07.945-07:00Sort of an aside ... James Earl Jones' charact...Sort of an aside ... James Earl Jones' character in "Field of Dreams" is based more on Thomas Pynchon than J.D. Salinger.Richard Doylenoreply@blogger.com